Christie on Trump: He’s Behaving ‘Like a 13-Year-Old’

“The guy who’s leading in the polls here isn’t even going to show up for your debate tomorrow night. Now, let’s talk about that for a second. (Laughter) OK? Listen, I — you may remember that back—and I think it was in October, the months are all running into each other at this point for me — but I think it was October, that I was taken from the main stage down to the undercard debate by Fox Business Network. 

I thought it was really unfair, but that was their decision. What did I do in response to that decision? Did I whine and moan? Did I refused to show up? Did I hold my breath and stamp my feet? No. I said you know what? Give me a podium and a microphone and put it TV camera in front of me and I’ll debate anybody at any time to put my vision for the country out there, and then I’ll let people decide. Well, that was terrible for your campaign, and the press was all over me, ‘Isn’t your campaign really over? You’ve been demoted.’ I said no, it’s not over. It’s one debate. I’ll be back. ‘No one’s ever been sent down and come back up, governor. Carly Fiorina was down and came up, but no one has been sent down to come back.’ I said watch me. I’ll be fine, I’m not worried. 

I went out for that debate and I’m back up on the main stage ever since. Because I went there and I articulated my vision, and I performed. And I didn’t act like a child when something went wrong for me. I acted like a leader. And what leaders do when things go sideways and they go sideways all the time in these jobs — when things go sideways you stand up and fight. You don’t walk away. You stand up and fight. 

So if you don’t like the debate moderators — stand up and fight. You don’t like the network — stand up and fight, show up and fight. What’s that tell you about what we can expect if things go sideways when you go into the Oval Office? What are you going to do? Just go upstairs to the residence and say I’m not playing. I’m — you know Vladimir Putin isn’t being  nice to me, I’m not going to return his phone call. The press isn’t being nice to me, I’m not going to hold any more press conferences. 

I mean basically this is like — this is like a 13-year old argument. I mean, I can’t tell you how many times I would say to my mother, growing up, it’s not fair. And my mother would say the same thing to me every time, ‘Life’s not fair Christopher, get used to it. You’ve got to fight through it.’

And so, the kind of person you want to vote for, the kind of person you want into the Oval Office, and the kind of person you want to stand on the stage next September against Hillary Rodham Clinton is not a person that when one thing goes sideways, when one thing seems not fair — they’re just going to walk away and take their marbles and go away. You want someone who’s going to say, ‘Oh yeah, you’re going to go sideways on me? Watch me. My strength, my leadership ability, my intellect, my will — watch me turn sideways to right side up. Sit there and watch me do it. That’s the kind of president we need and that’s the kind of president I’ll be. And that’s never a wasted of vote. Ever.” (Applause)